Liberal Unionist Party

The Liberal Unionist Party was a liberal political party in the United Kingdom that was active from 1886 to 1912. The party was founded by the Duke of Devonshire due to concerns that the UK Liberal Party's support for Irish home rule would lead to Irish independence from the United Kingdom. The Liberal Unionists opposed Irish home rule, and they held different economic and social views, affiliating themselves with their Whig predecessors. Joseph Chamberlain used anti-Catholicism to gain support for the party among Protestants in Ireland, and the party adopted the catchy phrase "Home rule means Rome rule." From 1895 to 1905, the Liberal Unionists formed a coalition government with the Conservative Party, and the two parties merged in 1912.